Petta Review

Petta Review & Rating

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Petta Review: Rajini Makes His Return As Master

The premise

It's been more than 10 years since we have watched a true Rajinikanth film. Director Shankar relegated his trademark to the background and delivered a Rajini movie with his own visual grandeur. Then Rajini was mostly part of the films that are made by the directors and their own vision rather than serving the fans.

The characters he has played have not also been written that great. After returning to form with the thumping success of 2.0 (still a director's film), it is the young Karthik Subbaraj who made everything Rajinified. Let's see how he satiates the thirst of the fans for a true superstar film with Petta review.

The story

There's a hill station and there's a college where the students rule the roost and the professors are terrified. As with several such settings, a savior of the order has to come and he is always the hero. Leave aside the routineness of the story but the setting is a very successful adaptation of the epic fantasy stories where a kingdom or a world in disorder is saved by the lone protagonist. So, As this is a Rajinikanth film, he is the savior in this case.

He is recommended to the college principal by a minister and Rajinikanth enters the scene in his massiest manner. He opens the gates like he did in his heyday, a nostalgic reference to one of the earliest superhits of Rajinikanth. Or the one-liners like ulle po. Taking the slightest deviation from the template, instead of being a professor, Rajinikanth takes the role of a hostel warden.

There are jokes, there is fun, he dances with the students and obviously saves the day for the first year students from the ragging of Michael. Rajinikanth is at his charming best. He looked at least a couple of decades younger and looked glamorous than he was in Shankar's Sivaji. But as the changing times dictate, he romanced a senior actress like Simran who is a mother than a college student. To make up for it, he helps lovebirds, here in this case played by Megha Akash and Sanath.

The cast

Simran is at her charming best as a not so middle-aged woman and Rajinikanth's romantic interest. The scenes between this Pranic healer (a fashionable job nowadays) and Rajinikanth's Kaali are beautifully picturized. There is a freshness watching them playing out such lighthearted romance. But these scenes are unnecessary is another matter. We cannot deny fan service for long, right?

And then there is the flashback and the villains played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui's Singhar Singh and his son Jithu played by the ever-dependable Vijay Sethupathi in another charismatic role. His screen time is limited as most of the focus of the film is rightly on everything Rajinikanth. What happened in that flashback and what is the rivalry between Singhar Singh and Kaali form the rest of the story.

Trisha has a limited role as a typical heroine in a superstar's film. She appears in the flashback and has good chemistry with Rajinikanth (are you watching, directors?). Simran too made a great pair with the superstar. Vijay Sethupathi is good for the most part and stunning when required. What a versatile actor he is! Nawazuddin Siddiqui did what is expected of him. Bobby Simha, a Karthik Subbaraj regular is a punch-bag for the protagonist and his antics as the college baddie are good and we get the right satisfaction when he is beaten. Sasikumar is decent in his role as the friend of Rajinikanth.

It's all in the name of Rajinikanth the superstar

Petta follows of the template set by Basha and other Rajinikanth films but the romantic angle and the college backdrop are subtly lifted from Tollywood film Master starring Chiranjeevi (also directed by Suresh Krishna) right from a youthful couple to the rescue call from the principal to the hero. The light-hearted romance and dancing with the students is also similar to that film. But where Karthik Subbaraj succeeded where others failed is, he relegated his technique to the background and used it in sprinkles when and where necessary and let the superstar take the cue for the most time.

The twists are executed with panache and the narration has no dull moments and even the scenes informed audience could guess come at unexpected places than at the regular points. The screenplay too is well written. The first half may appear a bit dragged and the college-scenes may off-put few among the audience after a certain time period. But things like making Rajini wielding a nunchuck. keep the fans interested.

The crew

Anirudh Ravichander's music has the youthful exuberance but one cannot remember once the song plays in the film. Only Petta Parak to an extent and Marana Mass are good. But the background score is terrific. The theme given for Rajini and the elevating music in the mass scenes can be said as a job well done.

The cinematography by Tirru is brilliant and captured the youthful spirit of the first half and the emotional arc of the second half. The frames are colorful and atmospheric. at once. He also helped to show Rajinikanth at his glamorous best in recent times. The editing could have been better. A good 20 minutes chopped off would have given this film an even better taut feel. The production values despite the quickest possible shoot time are good.

Finally

Petta is a true Rajini film for Rajini fans by the Rajini fanboy director. Democracy, I mean... fan's calls are answered. With Rajinikanth at his massiest best and charmingly youthful yet still graceful in showing his age, the film is a breath of fresh air for both the fans of the superstar and the informed audience who liked Karthik Subburaj's films in the past. A great source of entertainment for the Pongal season. Don't miss it if you are...

Positives

Rajinikanth at his massiest best after a long time

Loads of hero elevations and entertaining scenes

Slick direction

Well-executed twists

Vijay Sethupathi

Rajinikanth chemistry with Simran and Trisha

Negatives

We have seen hundreds of such films even starring Rajini himself

First half may feel repetitive after a certain point of time

20 minutes too long

Pycker Rating: 3.25 out of 5

Punchline: Get Rajinified. A sureshot entertainer.

Reviewed by: GitacharYa

Petta Critic Reviews

Petta User Reviews

Karthikeyan

14 Jan 19 @ 7:54 PM

Thalaivar 😍 veyra level performance,

After long time my childhood rajini is back,

How many of you noticed 165 number in following scenes, while thalaivar in jail they give 165 no, and which is also tattooed in thalaivar's

Hand. Which is that, petta is 165th movie of thalaivar rajini, aniruth Bgm and songs are super. Director Karthik just nailed it. Have petta Pongal.

KD MEDIA ROCK

10 Jan 19 @ 2:22 PM

3.5.good entertainment and bgm is awesome rajini style are good

Hari

27 Feb 19 @ 2:46 PM

Petta Live Updates & Public Talk

The day is finally here, a day which all the fans of Thalaivar Rajinikanth have been eagerly waiting for is here. Its been more than a decade since the fans of Rajinikanth have waited for his movie like they are doing for Petta. The trailer and songs have promised that we will be witnessing the vintage Thalaivar with uber cool attitude and swag - smashing the goons. The reaction from the audience for the first half of Petta hints that the promise has been delivered and in style.

The audience is going crazy about the film and many are terming it as Thalaivar's best film this decade. Reportedly, the first of the film is said to be high on style and mass moments which will be a treat for Rajinikanth fans. Karthik Subbaraj seems to have done a great job in presenting Rajinikanth in an avatar his fans have been eagerly waiting to watch. Rajini seems to be in his comfort zone this time and we can expect a complete one-man show from him.

The second half of the film is said to be a little slow compared to the entertaining first half and this can disappoint a certain section of the audience. Karthik Subbaraj seems to have focused more of the typical gangster type moments in the second half and was partly successful. However, the last 15 minutes is said to be very engaging. Vijay Sethupathi, Nawazuddin, and others also seem to have done their part well.

Stay tuned for the review of Petta and live updates.

Petta Preview

What is Petta About?

Rajinikanth has been on a comeback trail these days. He may be the superstar in Tamil Cinema and is still considered a force to be reckoned with in South Indian film industries but he is slowly losing his grip on the audience from the languages other than Tamil. Despite the mega success of his latest film 2.0, part of the credit has gone to director Shankar. All this has started not with the failures of films like Linga and Kochadaiyaan as said by many but it is his twin failures with the films in the direction of Pa. Ranjith.

Of course, Rajinikanth played dignified roles that go with his age. Of course, he looked as stylish as ever. The punch dialogues are there too. But the fans and other audience want something other than what is served. He proved with the success of 2.0 that if he is given a strong role that suits his superstardom. That is what Petta about. A lot is riding on the success of this Karthik Subbaraj directorial. And the trailer polarised the opinions of the fans and the critics. But what ticks in it is: it has all the ingredients people want from a Rajinikanth film.

Petta Promises

A high-octane action entertainer

karthik Subbaraj is known for innovative storylines which deliver entertainers with the right mixture of action and comedy. Rajinikanth looks at his heroic best in the trailer and he has ample punch dialogues that are sure to become catchphrases to his fans. His heroes are generally common folks who are in uncommon situations. Here in Petta, Rajini plays the role of a hostel warden. But Rajini being Rajini, there is something interesting in the store. And for the action, with the presence of Peter Hein, stylish stunt choreography can be expected.

Huge star cast

As if Rajinikanth is not enough, Karthik Subbaraj roped in actor-director Sasi Kumar and senior heroine Simran for crucial roles. It doesn't end there. We have Makkal Selvan Vijay Sethupathi playing a baddie and that is a sparkling combo for Rajinikanth. Aha! The director is not satisfied with this all. Nawazuddin Siddiqui is brought in for another top role. As an icing on the already tasty cake, there is Trisha Krishnan who stormed back to form with 96. She will be seen at the opposite side of the spectrum from her hero in that movie, Vijay Sethupathi.

Team assembled by Sun Pictures

Karthik Subbaraj is a highly rated young director who delivers one innovative commercial film after another. That he took up the job of directing superstar Rajinikanth when the tide was at its lowest shows his guts. Whether he added all the other big stars in the ensemble cast just to be on the safe side or for the need of the story can only be known once the film hits the screens. But there is no denying that the expectations, though cautious, are quite high on Petta.

Anirudh Ravichander's music for this film with Petta Paraak is flowing in the jukeboxes of the fans and he did a fine job with his first outing with a star of the caliber Rajinikanth. Tirru's cinematography is at once rustic and colorful oozing the youthful spirit. Sun Pictures which is back with a bang is ready to strike the box office gold once again.

...And Rajinikanth

Superstar Rajinikanth exudes evergreen charm and that he is playing the role which is younger compared to his recent outings like Kaala etc. is a lucrative matter for his fans. Stylishness is always there but it is the punch of Rajinikanth that is missing from his previous films (barring 2.0). But he appears to have nailed every trick n the book of stardom for Petta and it is great news for the fans. We can't wait to watch Petta is an obvious thing.

Stay glued for Petta review, rating, and complete analysis. We will be in for a treat hopefully.